In the 40 years between 1948 Germany was completely rebuilt - everything from government to national identity was re-instituted. The country was literally split in two, and finally merged again as one. During that amount of turmoil it is understandable for the appearance of money to change. I don't see how it couldn't.
Let me ask you this. Did they change those bills just to make them look different? Or was currency standardization amongst a dozen geographically small countries that are intimately entwined to facilitate trade and commerce the real reason for the change? Obviously it was the latter, and so [b]while they're redoing the entire system anyway, designing better bills and coinage is a responsibility and obligation[/b]. It's not about "was it easy or hard" (and I have a hunch there are plenty of Europeans that weren't too pleased with the change, or wouldn't exactly say it was without "large problems"), but motivation, and will the benefits outweigh the costs.
I read your "American currency is stupid" article, and all your points neglect major realities.
Plastic Money (survives the wash if you leave them in your jeans, pretty hard to fake with a laser printer).
The current money already survives the wash very well. Only bills that are extremely worn (to the point they would be deemed "unfit" by a bank and sent back to the Federal Reserve Bank for destruction) might actually fall apart in the wash.
Differently colored money (I mean all denominations, and I mean really different colors, so it's easy to spot the differences).
As a major force in the worldwide economy, the US would resist bills that look like play monopoly money. There is a certain elegance and history to the look of the bills, which was established centuries ago. The resistance to candy colored cash is in part to protect that heritage and image.
Differently sized/ textured/ shaped money (What a thunderbolt of an idea! Those pesky blind people need to use money? Pfft).
Do you have any idea how many ATM machines are in the US? How about vending machines that accept bills? What about tills in which cashiers place their money? How about automatic counting machines at banks? Making different denominations different sizes or shapes would result in complete and total havoc, and would cause an uproar amongst the 99.6% of the population that is not blind (and no, I didn't make that number up). Now the texture thing might be doable, like imprinting a bit of braille on the corner of the bill or something. However that still would likely interfere with automated machines, as well as the packing and bundling of currency. As for blind people, Debit and Credit cards are pretty much accepted everywhere now. So in most cases there are options available for the visually impaired.
Plastic coinage. (it doesn't have to be metal... really... it's also lighter in the pocket).
I hate to be redundant, but do you have any idea how many vending machines are in use that accept coinage? Do you know how they identify real coins from fakes? I'll give you a hint - it has to do with the magnetic and electrical properties of metals.
It's really easy to say "look how stupid they are", but the Fed does not have the ability, nor the right, to rip up a system that has been in use from before the time your grandfather was born, just so they can tweak a few annoyances. Cash and coinage is gradually declining in use, which represents an unparalleled shift in world economics that is of epic proportions. So if cash and coinage is being phased out (albeit very slowly), then why create all the turmoil to fix something that may not exist in 50 years anyway?
I think "Immortal Computing" is a misnomer. Maybe "Immortal Data Storage" would suffice, but when I think of computing I think of software - something that executes. Their term would better suite software designed to be highly portable, that survives independently of hardware (java?).
Dan East
Re:Let it rest in peace!
on
AmigaOS 4
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
The Amiga died for one reason. Closed Source on a Closed Platform.
Yep, just like Macintosh. And we all know that IBM machines survived because of Microsoft's open operating systems.
The reason Amiga died was because Commodore was completely inept on just about everything non-technical in nature - advertising, business decisions, corporate alliances, you name it.
When I first read the headline and blurb I thought India retrieved a satellite. As in how the Space Shuttle can go up, retrieve a satellite that otherwise is not designed for reentry, and bring it back to earth. This craft was designed for reentry in the first place, so they didn't really "bring" it back - they commanded it to return on its own.
As far as actual usefulness goes, the 99 Bottles of Beer site is worthless. The C version implements a Linux Kernel Driver! Now what's the point in that? Why not output to stdio? The C++ version doesn't even use OOP or implement a single class! It uses recursive templates and thus doesn't contain a single piece of runtime logic.
However the real nail in the coffin is that the fundamental algorithm used to generate the song varies widely from one language to another, thus no real comparison between languages is possible.
Let's see. Montessori schools are private, and tuition is tens of thousands per year (my step-sister has attended a Montessori for a number of years). So we can immediately assume that the student's parents are have at least marginally successful careers to afford the tuition. That would indicate that they are intelligent individuals, or at least have the drive, focus and work-ethic to provide a steady above-average income. Now, if we assume those attributes are hereditary, then we can see that the children that have the financial means to attend the school in the first place likely have various hereditary advantages. In other words, they would likely excel in public schools just the same.
Not to be persnickety, but it required only 256k of RAM. My Amiga 1000 has 256k internal RAM, plus an optional add-on 256k module that attaches inside the front of the unit.
They had a point with the look and feel, but to be honest it doesn't bother me as perhaps it should. And cut and paste is just not the mac way of doing things... we drag and drop EVERYTHING and Expose makes that easy.
As a developer that spends quite a bit of time on GUI design, I strive to create interfaces that can be completely driven by the keyboard. I do 95% of my text selection via keyboard (CTRL-SHIFT-LEFT / CTRL-SHIFT-RIGHT to select words, CTRL-SHIFT-HOME / CTRL-SHIFT-END to select lines, etc), all of my copy/pasting via keyboard (CTRL-C or CTRL-INS to copy, CTRL-V or SHIFT-INS to paste), and all of my application switching via keyboard (ALT-TAB, ALT-SHIFT-TAB).
Since the keys on my keyboard are not virtual, and exist in my world, I can hit them instantly without having to locate them, or otherwise use any higher-level processing whatsoever to activate them. Mouse pointers are particularly evil, because of the amount of processing and fine motor skills involved in using them. They are a virtual representation that I must use visual cues to interact with. The potential for error with a mouse is also much greater. With the keyboard I can do something as complex as selecting text, copying it, switching to another application, and pasting it very, very quickly with a set of absolute boolean keypresses. With a mouse everything is relative - it isn't the exact same motion every time, because the distance I have to move the mouse is dependent on so many things (resolution of the display, size of the windows, location of windows relative to one another, the speed in which I move the mouse because of mouse acceleration, etc). That slows me down, increases the chance of error, and requires much more mental processing.
With my software (healthcare software requiring substantial data entry and navigation) I always teach people how to fully navigate the UI with the keyboard, so they don't even think of using their mouse. The worst possible interface is one that requires both the keyboard and mouse alternately.
Now, I am not an OSX user, however I will say that IMO Apple has always seemed to lean towards a mouse-centric interface. Fundamentally I think that is a bad thing for the very reasons I outlined above. The thing that got me was your post saying how dragging and dropping everything was so easy, whereas I think it's the exact opposite. Perhaps you really meant intuitive, as in it requires a smaller learning curve up-front at the cost of requiring more effort every single time you perform the action forevermore. I guess it's the coder in me that feels it is better to spend extra time implementing something efficiently, knowing that the code will be executed many millions of time. A little extra effort up front saves massive runtime in the future.
This reminds me of the movie Johnny Mnemonic, where he got a VR kit just so he could browse the internet. It immediately struck me how much work it was taking for him to interact with the virtual environment, and how incredibly ludicrous of a UI they presented. A completely mouse-centric interface is not too many steps away from that.
His metaphor is clearly a prediction of war. Olive trees are native to the Mediterranean region, and Lexus is of course Japanese. So it is obvious he believes there will be a war between Japan and various Mediterranean countries, resulting in widespread destruction.
I'm just not quite sure what that has to do with the internet.
Holy crap, I remember those! Anyone have something that'll still play them?
Of course. The format is still in widespread use, although typically more than 4 channels are employed these days (and they aren't hard-coded to left and right channels, as with the Amiga). There are many Pocket PC, Gameboy and Cellphone games that use tracker style playback (most completely MOD compatible) to save storage space.
MikMod, fmod and Hekkus are three different libraries currently used by game developers for mod playback. However since flash storage has increased dramatically over the last couple years, more and more developers are using mp3 format. So that may finally put an end to the use of MODs.
Most people don't realize this, but fiber is often added to concrete at the plant where it is mixed, especially if steel is not embedded into the concrete. Contractors that really know their stuff will specify how much and what size fiber they need based on the application. Now it would be something if that hair wasn't there by accident. Most of the hieroglyphics and movies I've seen show Egyptians with shaved heads. So maybe all their hair went into the concrete to strengthen it.
I'm no physicist, but the mass of the earth (and thus its gravity) would not change, just its density. So the ISS (satellites, moon, etc) should keep orbiting just the same. In fact, the ISS might last longer, since there would be less atmosphere to slow it down. I think.
Is this the collider that could possibly create a black hole that would destroy the planet? Maybe a little sightseeing on the ISS would be a good idea about that time. That would buy me a couple extra weeks.
Thanks for the heads up slashdot - I've updated my forums' email ban list. It's joined the likes of mailinator.com and its alias domains (fakeinformation.com and sogetthis.com).
Slashdot Mirror
"thesolo" Asked Slashdot about switching to metric.
"K7DAN" submitted this story.
How are the two related?
Dan East
Again, it's about motivation.
In the 40 years between 1948 Germany was completely rebuilt - everything from government to national identity was re-instituted. The country was literally split in two, and finally merged again as one. During that amount of turmoil it is understandable for the appearance of money to change. I don't see how it couldn't.
Dan East
Let me ask you this. Did they change those bills just to make them look different? Or was currency standardization amongst a dozen geographically small countries that are intimately entwined to facilitate trade and commerce the real reason for the change? Obviously it was the latter, and so [b]while they're redoing the entire system anyway, designing better bills and coinage is a responsibility and obligation[/b]. It's not about "was it easy or hard" (and I have a hunch there are plenty of Europeans that weren't too pleased with the change, or wouldn't exactly say it was without "large problems"), but motivation, and will the benefits outweigh the costs.
Dan East
I read your "American currency is stupid" article, and all your points neglect major realities.
Plastic Money (survives the wash if you leave them in your jeans, pretty hard to fake with a laser printer).
The current money already survives the wash very well. Only bills that are extremely worn (to the point they would be deemed "unfit" by a bank and sent back to the Federal Reserve Bank for destruction) might actually fall apart in the wash.
Differently colored money (I mean all denominations, and I mean really different colors, so it's easy to spot the differences).
As a major force in the worldwide economy, the US would resist bills that look like play monopoly money. There is a certain elegance and history to the look of the bills, which was established centuries ago. The resistance to candy colored cash is in part to protect that heritage and image.
Differently sized/ textured/ shaped money (What a thunderbolt of an idea! Those pesky blind people need to use money? Pfft).
Do you have any idea how many ATM machines are in the US? How about vending machines that accept bills? What about tills in which cashiers place their money? How about automatic counting machines at banks? Making different denominations different sizes or shapes would result in complete and total havoc, and would cause an uproar amongst the 99.6% of the population that is not blind (and no, I didn't make that number up). Now the texture thing might be doable, like imprinting a bit of braille on the corner of the bill or something. However that still would likely interfere with automated machines, as well as the packing and bundling of currency. As for blind people, Debit and Credit cards are pretty much accepted everywhere now. So in most cases there are options available for the visually impaired.
Plastic coinage. (it doesn't have to be metal... really... it's also lighter in the pocket).
I hate to be redundant, but do you have any idea how many vending machines are in use that accept coinage? Do you know how they identify real coins from fakes? I'll give you a hint - it has to do with the magnetic and electrical properties of metals.
It's really easy to say "look how stupid they are", but the Fed does not have the ability, nor the right, to rip up a system that has been in use from before the time your grandfather was born, just so they can tweak a few annoyances. Cash and coinage is gradually declining in use, which represents an unparalleled shift in world economics that is of epic proportions. So if cash and coinage is being phased out (albeit very slowly), then why create all the turmoil to fix something that may not exist in 50 years anyway?
Dan East
I think "Immortal Computing" is a misnomer. Maybe "Immortal Data Storage" would suffice, but when I think of computing I think of software - something that executes. Their term would better suite software designed to be highly portable, that survives independently of hardware (java?).
Dan East
The Amiga died for one reason. Closed Source on a Closed Platform.
Yep, just like Macintosh. And we all know that IBM machines survived because of Microsoft's open operating systems.
The reason Amiga died was because Commodore was completely inept on just about everything non-technical in nature - advertising, business decisions, corporate alliances, you name it.
Dan East
When I first read the headline and blurb I thought India retrieved a satellite. As in how the Space Shuttle can go up, retrieve a satellite that otherwise is not designed for reentry, and bring it back to earth. This craft was designed for reentry in the first place, so they didn't really "bring" it back - they commanded it to return on its own.
Dan East
As far as actual usefulness goes, the 99 Bottles of Beer site is worthless. The C version implements a Linux Kernel Driver! Now what's the point in that? Why not output to stdio? The C++ version doesn't even use OOP or implement a single class! It uses recursive templates and thus doesn't contain a single piece of runtime logic.
However the real nail in the coffin is that the fundamental algorithm used to generate the song varies widely from one language to another, thus no real comparison between languages is possible.
Dan East
Aww, quit your pining already.
Dan East
Let's see. Montessori schools are private, and tuition is tens of thousands per year (my step-sister has attended a Montessori for a number of years). So we can immediately assume that the student's parents are have at least marginally successful careers to afford the tuition. That would indicate that they are intelligent individuals, or at least have the drive, focus and work-ethic to provide a steady above-average income. Now, if we assume those attributes are hereditary, then we can see that the children that have the financial means to attend the school in the first place likely have various hereditary advantages. In other words, they would likely excel in public schools just the same.
Dan East
Now let's see how much spam levels drop.
Dan East
What's with all the Wii math today? Something + Wii = Something Else
Dan East
Not to be persnickety, but it required only 256k of RAM. My Amiga 1000 has 256k internal RAM, plus an optional add-on 256k module that attaches inside the front of the unit.
Dan East
Sex worker, is that the PC term for prostitute?
Dan East
They had a point with the look and feel, but to be honest it doesn't bother me as perhaps it should. And cut and paste is just not the mac way of doing things... we drag and drop EVERYTHING and Expose makes that easy.
As a developer that spends quite a bit of time on GUI design, I strive to create interfaces that can be completely driven by the keyboard. I do 95% of my text selection via keyboard (CTRL-SHIFT-LEFT / CTRL-SHIFT-RIGHT to select words, CTRL-SHIFT-HOME / CTRL-SHIFT-END to select lines, etc), all of my copy/pasting via keyboard (CTRL-C or CTRL-INS to copy, CTRL-V or SHIFT-INS to paste), and all of my application switching via keyboard (ALT-TAB, ALT-SHIFT-TAB).
Since the keys on my keyboard are not virtual, and exist in my world, I can hit them instantly without having to locate them, or otherwise use any higher-level processing whatsoever to activate them. Mouse pointers are particularly evil, because of the amount of processing and fine motor skills involved in using them. They are a virtual representation that I must use visual cues to interact with. The potential for error with a mouse is also much greater. With the keyboard I can do something as complex as selecting text, copying it, switching to another application, and pasting it very, very quickly with a set of absolute boolean keypresses. With a mouse everything is relative - it isn't the exact same motion every time, because the distance I have to move the mouse is dependent on so many things (resolution of the display, size of the windows, location of windows relative to one another, the speed in which I move the mouse because of mouse acceleration, etc). That slows me down, increases the chance of error, and requires much more mental processing.
With my software (healthcare software requiring substantial data entry and navigation) I always teach people how to fully navigate the UI with the keyboard, so they don't even think of using their mouse. The worst possible interface is one that requires both the keyboard and mouse alternately.
Now, I am not an OSX user, however I will say that IMO Apple has always seemed to lean towards a mouse-centric interface. Fundamentally I think that is a bad thing for the very reasons I outlined above. The thing that got me was your post saying how dragging and dropping everything was so easy, whereas I think it's the exact opposite. Perhaps you really meant intuitive, as in it requires a smaller learning curve up-front at the cost of requiring more effort every single time you perform the action forevermore. I guess it's the coder in me that feels it is better to spend extra time implementing something efficiently, knowing that the code will be executed many millions of time. A little extra effort up front saves massive runtime in the future.
This reminds me of the movie Johnny Mnemonic, where he got a VR kit just so he could browse the internet. It immediately struck me how much work it was taking for him to interact with the virtual environment, and how incredibly ludicrous of a UI they presented. A completely mouse-centric interface is not too many steps away from that.
Dan East
Um, what do those statistics prove? That the USA has a larger population, and thus purchase more console software than Japan?
Dan East
His metaphor is clearly a prediction of war. Olive trees are native to the Mediterranean region, and Lexus is of course Japanese. So it is obvious he believes there will be a war between Japan and various Mediterranean countries, resulting in widespread destruction.
I'm just not quite sure what that has to do with the internet.
Dan East
Holy crap, I remember those! Anyone have something that'll still play them?
Of course. The format is still in widespread use, although typically more than 4 channels are employed these days (and they aren't hard-coded to left and right channels, as with the Amiga). There are many Pocket PC, Gameboy and Cellphone games that use tracker style playback (most completely MOD compatible) to save storage space.
MikMod, fmod and Hekkus are three different libraries currently used by game developers for mod playback. However since flash storage has increased dramatically over the last couple years, more and more developers are using mp3 format. So that may finally put an end to the use of MODs.
Dan East
Beef.
Dan East
China would be more than happy to participate in the competition. And they're even a communist country. Go USA!
Dan East
Chemical reactions can occur in places other than Earth.
Dan East
Most people don't realize this, but fiber is often added to concrete at the plant where it is mixed, especially if steel is not embedded into the concrete. Contractors that really know their stuff will specify how much and what size fiber they need based on the application. Now it would be something if that hair wasn't there by accident. Most of the hieroglyphics and movies I've seen show Egyptians with shaved heads. So maybe all their hair went into the concrete to strengthen it.
Rampant speculation is so much fun.
Dan East
I'm no physicist, but the mass of the earth (and thus its gravity) would not change, just its density. So the ISS (satellites, moon, etc) should keep orbiting just the same. In fact, the ISS might last longer, since there would be less atmosphere to slow it down. I think.
Dan East
Is this the collider that could possibly create a black hole that would destroy the planet? Maybe a little sightseeing on the ISS would be a good idea about that time. That would buy me a couple extra weeks.
Dan East
Thanks for the heads up slashdot - I've updated my forums' email ban list. It's joined the likes of mailinator.com and its alias domains (fakeinformation.com and sogetthis.com).
Dan East